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Post seizure behavior duration
My three year old dog Jasper had about 15 seizures in a 24 hour period without full recovery in between. The day he started having them I brought him to the vet and he was prescribed phenobarbital, which I gave to him at 7 pm that night. His seizures continued through the night and finally at three am I called the vet again, who advised me to give him a half a pill ( his regular dosage is 30 mg tablets twice a day). So I did, after that he had two more 1 1/2 minute seizures about an hour apart. It has been two days since his last seizure but he still hasn't fully recovered, he doesn't know his commands, the people in the house ( including me ), or the other dogs and cats in the house. I want to know if he will even recover from this or if there is something I can do to help. He keeps pacing and whining, even in the middle of the night. Should I bring him in again? Could there be something more serious going on?
I have a 1 year 4 month old German Shepherd named Melo who's been having seizures since he was 1. I just wanted to share my experience because I know its comforting to hear stories of other people that are going through what you're going through, makes you feel less hopeless. Melo had 4 seizures in the span of 2 hours, he's taking 300mg of Zonisamide every 12 hours but before take refill arrived he had ran out and that's when the seizures happened. I took him to the animal medical center and they gave him one pill of phenobarbital and also about 15 zonisamide pills. I took him home gave him the pb and 3 pills of the zoni. He was whining non stop, really hungry, really thirsty, forgot some of the house rules (not going through the trash and no standing on the kitchen table), he seemed to not recognize my parents and didn't respond to words like "outside", "eat" and "treat". I was worried because he usually bounced back right away from his seizures. I called the vet and they said it was side effects from the seizure and pb, they said he would be back to normal in 2-7 days. I was really skeptical because he was acting so strange but I was still patient with him. Next day he would not stop whining and pacing the house. Second day he woke up much better he remembered a few more stuff but not completely back to normal about 70%. Third day he was about 95% back to normal and I was so happy. Now a few days later he's back to being himself and I couldn't be more relived. If this is happening to your dog I just want you to know that they will go back to normal, just be really patient you have to keep in mind that they're restless because they're scared that another seizure will happen again. Give him/her a week at least before you start getting worried, if a week has passed call your vet and it might be the medication that they're taking. Hope this helps or comforts someone.
try giving your dog CBC from innovitepet. I thought i was losing my 12 yr old baby before someone recommended me this. it stoped his seizures IMMEDIATELY
My 2 months shy of 8 yrs Shih Tzu Madeleine, just had a frontal seizure 2 days ago. This caused her temp to spike to 106 and vets were only able to get it down to 104 for hours. Her bp was 180-190 range, now stable. She has never had a seizure before and hasnt had one since. Her temp seems to have regulated. Cause for seizure is unknown. We are awaiting results on the valley fever. Adrenal US tests are wanting to be done before further brain imaging. I've never thought I'd be the pet parent to say when is too much too much, but I'm now a good 6k into this kid (broken leg and other things) but she is just not herself. Other then the fact that she can walk and breath on her own she is practically a vegetable. She is unaware of her surroundings doesnt know her name, walks herself to death in circles until I pick her up and doesn't eat or drink. I guess my question is - seeing as it's only been a about a day and a half, can this pass or am I only prolonging the enevitable? Perhaps the temperature "fried her brain"... I hate to say that... she's my baby. I've had her since the actual day she was born.
1 Comments
Did your dog ever recover from this? I am in the same boat with a 14-year old. We are seriously considering helping him "move on", but I hate to think that we could have just waited it out. He is not eating at all (2 days since last meal), not drinking on his own but takes syringed water readily, walking in circles or courses around house, whining and panting.
My Australian kelpie is 8 now and has had idiopathic epilepsy for 3 years. When he went on Phenobarbetone he was seizure free for 13 months. Since then the frequency has increased so the vet has also increased his med. He started on 2 30mg twice a day and is now on 4 at night and 3 in the morning. He is getting cluster seizures over a couple of days and then nothing for 7 weeks. But it is taking him longer to return to normal i.e. not able to catch his tennis ball mid air and pacing and whining and wanting to eat anything.
I am wondering how long I will have him. The breeder said there was no evidence of epilepsy in any of her dogs. It is so heartbreaking. I have had dogs for years but after this experience I don't know if I could have another.
I am wondering how long I will have him. The breeder said there was no evidence of epilepsy in any of her dogs. It is so heartbreaking. I have had dogs for years but after this experience I don't know if I could have another.
Hello I read your post from 2012 I'm having the same problem with my baby Max he has several cluster seizures and now he doesn't recognize me which breaks my heart and I can't help myself but to start crying. How long did it take for your pup to get to his normal self. Max got out of the hospital yesterday so he's only been home for one day. but he doesn't know who i am or he doesn't remember how much he loves going on walks. Please tell me how long did your dog take to be back. Much appreciated
2 Comments
My sons GS went through seizures too and now on PhenoBarb. Been a week since last seizure but dog still suffering side effects of or from the drugs. On a wait and see mode as only on drugs a week-praying side effects and ataxia goes away and he resembles his old self. May check into CNB therapy.
how is yours doing now? I know it can vary from dog to dog.
I know these posts have been on here for a while but I thought I could share my story. My dogs name was Diesel and would have been two on new years. On Saturday he began having seizures.. He had about 7 from 3p until about 10:30p. The vet was not open and I finally found a pet hospital and took him there. When he had these episodes he didnt fall to the ground. He would stand and his face and front arm would draw up and shake then he would begin to salivate. These only lasted a few seconds and he was back to his normal energetic self. I took him to the vet and she immediately said he may have epilepsy, but didnt start phenobarbetol just yet. She said it would change his personality, etc. Instead he had valium injections and did well the first night. The second day he had one seizure that morning- same thing and gave him another injection. They seemed not to be worried since they didnt last long and he was his old self when finished. The third day- Monday November 16th 2015 my poor baby died from two massive seizures. This time he fell to the floor, all limbs involved, urination, and defication. He never regained consciousness after the first one. Im not sure what happened- if he had epilepsy or toxin. After it was done with the vet seems to think toxin. But he was in a kennel when all this occurred. I would hate to think someone poisoned him. It is so heartbreaking to think about. I loved him so much. I just dont understand if we had thought it was poison maybe we could have induced vomiting or did things differently, maybe he would still be here? I wish I could go back and do it over again.. I truly thought I was going to get my dog back on Monday and do routine checkups on his seizures and start medication. The valium injections were not working. And I let my buddy die in a vet office with strangers.. I feel so terribly awful. Nevertheless I brought him home and burried him Tuesday. I will always love him!
I know this is an old post but for others in the future who may read this...
This doesn't require investigating into his food, etc. as it is obviously epilepsy. He has epilepsy in his family background. His brother knows he isn't quite right, which is why he growls at him. The girl dogs are more empathetic (kind of like human chicks are) while males tend to be more of the, "get over it/buck up" types. Male dogs are very in tune to the pack mentality, so when a member of the pack is weak, it weakens the whole pack.
The impression that His seizures happening routinely could have been evidence of a monthly topical or even bug sprays around the house is correct, but jaspers history says previous seizures in the family, which is like a flashing ding, ding, ding, of the cause. Another clue when reading jaspers history is his breed(s). Some breeds have an inherited predisposition to be epileptic. Its called Idiopathic epilepsy. Idiopathic means it has no known cause, but the name was given before it was known to be inherited. Other causes could be poison, allergies, brain tumors, brain lesions, swelling of the spinal cord, etc.
Dogs with idiopathic epilepsy typically have their first seizures between the ages of 6 months to 6 years.. Though idiopathic epilepsy can occur in any breed, it is considered an inheritable disease in many breeds and in some breeds a genetic basis has been identified. Commonly affected breeds include:
Labrador retrievers
Golden retrievers
Poodles
Keeshonds
Beagles
German shepherds
Dachshunds
Irish setters
Cocker spaniels
Australian Shepherds
Jasper is an Australian shepherd mix and research from the Canine Epilepsy Project at the University of Missouri shows that of the 8066 DNA samples that they collected from 90 different breeds of dogs, over 10% of all the affected dogs were Australian Shepherds.
I'm only commenting because of the massive amount of time I wasted with my pup when he started with epileptic seizures. People on every board/comment section told me to change his food, change his flea meds, heartworm, etc. I wasted money on all this change which was pointless because my pup had idiopathic epilepsy. He is a refractory epileptic, meaning he doesn't respond to meds. So no amount of diet changes etc, would had changed it. That didn't stop people from making me feel like I was somehow responsible for my pup. Like I needed to spend an arm and a leg on special foods and make it all myself when in reality, my pup needed me, my time, and my money spent on his medical care.
Good luck for you all who read this as I know you'll need it, since you're searching for answers. I hope you aren't left searching for last ditch options before putting your pup to sleep, like I am. He now has brain damage from multiple cluster days in a row every week or two. My playful pup is gone.
As for the other part of the question... Its normal for them to pace and whine for hours or days after. If it continues for more than 3 days, see the vet as he may be having continuous seizure activity that isn't as obvious. Epilepsy does tend to give them anxiety. They are confused and on edge possibly waiting for it to come on again. In the same way they forget their training, they may forget all that comforts them. This creates anxiety - been there. Try melatonin. I give my pup 3mg melatonin 3x day. Another option is valium. Mine has 5mg valium when needed. Hope this helps.
I'm sure diet plays a role for some but if your dogs has familial relationships with other epileptic, he's probably epileptic.
This doesn't require investigating into his food, etc. as it is obviously epilepsy. He has epilepsy in his family background. His brother knows he isn't quite right, which is why he growls at him. The girl dogs are more empathetic (kind of like human chicks are) while males tend to be more of the, "get over it/buck up" types. Male dogs are very in tune to the pack mentality, so when a member of the pack is weak, it weakens the whole pack.
The impression that His seizures happening routinely could have been evidence of a monthly topical or even bug sprays around the house is correct, but jaspers history says previous seizures in the family, which is like a flashing ding, ding, ding, of the cause. Another clue when reading jaspers history is his breed(s). Some breeds have an inherited predisposition to be epileptic. Its called Idiopathic epilepsy. Idiopathic means it has no known cause, but the name was given before it was known to be inherited. Other causes could be poison, allergies, brain tumors, brain lesions, swelling of the spinal cord, etc.
Dogs with idiopathic epilepsy typically have their first seizures between the ages of 6 months to 6 years.. Though idiopathic epilepsy can occur in any breed, it is considered an inheritable disease in many breeds and in some breeds a genetic basis has been identified. Commonly affected breeds include:
Labrador retrievers
Golden retrievers
Poodles
Keeshonds
Beagles
German shepherds
Dachshunds
Irish setters
Cocker spaniels
Australian Shepherds
Jasper is an Australian shepherd mix and research from the Canine Epilepsy Project at the University of Missouri shows that of the 8066 DNA samples that they collected from 90 different breeds of dogs, over 10% of all the affected dogs were Australian Shepherds.
I'm only commenting because of the massive amount of time I wasted with my pup when he started with epileptic seizures. People on every board/comment section told me to change his food, change his flea meds, heartworm, etc. I wasted money on all this change which was pointless because my pup had idiopathic epilepsy. He is a refractory epileptic, meaning he doesn't respond to meds. So no amount of diet changes etc, would had changed it. That didn't stop people from making me feel like I was somehow responsible for my pup. Like I needed to spend an arm and a leg on special foods and make it all myself when in reality, my pup needed me, my time, and my money spent on his medical care.
Good luck for you all who read this as I know you'll need it, since you're searching for answers. I hope you aren't left searching for last ditch options before putting your pup to sleep, like I am. He now has brain damage from multiple cluster days in a row every week or two. My playful pup is gone.
As for the other part of the question... Its normal for them to pace and whine for hours or days after. If it continues for more than 3 days, see the vet as he may be having continuous seizure activity that isn't as obvious. Epilepsy does tend to give them anxiety. They are confused and on edge possibly waiting for it to come on again. In the same way they forget their training, they may forget all that comforts them. This creates anxiety - been there. Try melatonin. I give my pup 3mg melatonin 3x day. Another option is valium. Mine has 5mg valium when needed. Hope this helps.
I'm sure diet plays a role for some but if your dogs has familial relationships with other epileptic, he's probably epileptic.
1 Comments
Thank you! This is very helpful!
Hi
I read your post about your dogs behavior and it mirrors mine, I am at a loss at what to do next and wondered if you managed to resolve the problems you mentioned?
Mike
I read your post about your dogs behavior and it mirrors mine, I am at a loss at what to do next and wondered if you managed to resolve the problems you mentioned?
Mike
1 Comments
try giving your dog CBC from innovitepet. I thought i was losing my 12 yr old baby before someone recommended me this. it stoped his seizures IMMEDIATELY
Hello Sam...How's Jasper? Here's a list of things that I want you to think about......
First, Seizures may be common, but they shouldn't be......My first thought after reading your question is that it's something you do monthly that may be causing the seizure activity....Your going to need to play detective!
Have you thought about chemicals that you may give regularly that could be the cause? The reason I ask is I have a friend that's little Chi (About the same age) started having seizures.....The cause was finally narrowed down to the heartworm medication he was on.....Once he was traded to a different brand (Different chemical), the seizures stopped......
Flea & tick products (Including shampoos) can also be your culprit.....Any of these products purchased from the grocery store or walmart can be deadly! That includes flea/tick shampoos.....
Chemical preservatives, dangerous ingredients & dyes in low quality pet food can cause them......That would include prescription foods from your Vet! The three Most dangerous chemicals used in Petfood are BHA, BHT, & Ethoxyquin.....BHA & BHT are used as preservatives to make a product last longer....They are known to cause cancer, SEIZURES, Kidney & organ failure, yet are still used in inferior petfoods.....These have been banned for Human consumption.....Read the ingredients list on the dogfood you serve...If any of these chemicals are listed, you may have found your answer......Artificial coloring agents can cause these problems, too...You will find these ingredients only in Inferior Grocery store & Discount centers......
Ethoxyquin (Another chemical preservative) was originally developed to use in the Rubber making industry....It's a known Herbicide AND Pesticide and causes Cancer! Again, still used in Low quality Pet foods.......
Any chemical going into or on your dog could be the source.....That would also include FOOD....In your free time, you need to look into a fresh food diet for your pet & do research on how toxic most commercial brands of food really are......
Yard chemicals, floor chemicals, toxic water, etc., are other sources......
Anyway, just wanted to give you some ideas to think about......I do hope you find the source...AT least, give it some thought...Let me know what you think.....Karla
First, Seizures may be common, but they shouldn't be......My first thought after reading your question is that it's something you do monthly that may be causing the seizure activity....Your going to need to play detective!
Have you thought about chemicals that you may give regularly that could be the cause? The reason I ask is I have a friend that's little Chi (About the same age) started having seizures.....The cause was finally narrowed down to the heartworm medication he was on.....Once he was traded to a different brand (Different chemical), the seizures stopped......
Flea & tick products (Including shampoos) can also be your culprit.....Any of these products purchased from the grocery store or walmart can be deadly! That includes flea/tick shampoos.....
Chemical preservatives, dangerous ingredients & dyes in low quality pet food can cause them......That would include prescription foods from your Vet! The three Most dangerous chemicals used in Petfood are BHA, BHT, & Ethoxyquin.....BHA & BHT are used as preservatives to make a product last longer....They are known to cause cancer, SEIZURES, Kidney & organ failure, yet are still used in inferior petfoods.....These have been banned for Human consumption.....Read the ingredients list on the dogfood you serve...If any of these chemicals are listed, you may have found your answer......Artificial coloring agents can cause these problems, too...You will find these ingredients only in Inferior Grocery store & Discount centers......
Ethoxyquin (Another chemical preservative) was originally developed to use in the Rubber making industry....It's a known Herbicide AND Pesticide and causes Cancer! Again, still used in Low quality Pet foods.......
Any chemical going into or on your dog could be the source.....That would also include FOOD....In your free time, you need to look into a fresh food diet for your pet & do research on how toxic most commercial brands of food really are......
Yard chemicals, floor chemicals, toxic water, etc., are other sources......
Anyway, just wanted to give you some ideas to think about......I do hope you find the source...AT least, give it some thought...Let me know what you think.....Karla
Thanks for the link, I was really starting to worry that my poor Jasper had a brain tumor or suffered from some permanent brain damage. In fact, I still do worry that there is something neurologically wrong with him but I live in Alaska and in order for him to get an MRI and the other big test (I can't remember what it is) I would have to send him down to Seattle, neither of which I can afford.
A little history on Jasper - he is a corgi/mini australian shepherd mix. Born August 10, 2009
His sister has had seizures since early 2011 and takes medications for it.
One of his siblings died when they were just days old but I don't remember how or why.
His first seizure was earlier this year (June 23, 2012). I brought him to the vet and the vet ran blood work and did a basic physical exam- everything came back normal. The vet didn't want to put him on medicine right away saying it could be a fluke thing.
The second time he had them the vet walked in and told me to put him on phenobarbital (without and exam, just straight up said it.) I didn't like this idea so I changed vets.
*The seizures seem to come in clusters of three or more. Usually four seizures through the night, without normal consciousness in between. They also happened at night, after 11pm.
The third time they happened I just went through the motions with him (I can't remember the date).
I'm pretty sure this is the fourth time it happened (Started at 430am Sept. 2 2012). If I remember the times correctly, it's 430am, 9:00am, 3:20pm and after that it gets hazy. His appointment was at 2pm that day and I informed the vet that he is acting like he is going to have another one. *Which he did, just not in the presence of the vet.
~~As for the cause of the seizures, at first I thought it was because he got into some cat food (ate out of Mia's bowl). Then I thought it was because we had an unusually hot hot day and he just couldn't tolerate that kind of heat (I think it was upper 70s to upper 80s, which didn't happen often this summer). But when he had his fourth cluster of seizures, neither was a factor.
He seems to have improved over the weekend, but he still seems a little wonky. He tries to get obsessively hungry, but I can usually distract from that, his manners have noticeably slipped. and he tends to drag his feet when he walks. His eyes still seem a little distant (not 100%), He jumps at loud noises, he doesn't move right away when people walk past him (I live with my sisters and their animals- two sisters, one big dog named Lily, Jasper's brother named Wikitt-Corgi mix, a Maltese-Pixii, a Yorkie-Rocco, a bengal cat-Loki, and my cat- Mia, so he is used to a full house and is or used to be very good at maneuvering around everybody). He also whines when he paces and I can never figure out why (try letting him out to pee, feed him a small handful of food, refresh his water bowl). When he was his old self, he would groan at me when he had to pee or run to the door when I stood up from sitting. So the whining is definitely new.
The improvements: he follows me around more, he is chewing on his raw hides again, he gets into playful moods (although he plays a little different than he used to), he knows his name and the direction from which it is being called, he knows his nick-name (my brother-in-law calls him Fiddle which he also responds to), he knows his basic commands: sit, wave, down, shake, come, close-the-door. But not his more advanced commands: shake-off (coming in from a rainy day, this is my favorite command), Up (sitting on his hind legs and waving), roll-over, etc.
When he paces in the middle of the night the only thing that gets him to stop is if I call him up on my bed and he lays his head close to mine. I don't mind this, as he has always slept on my bed with me and it's allowed.
Lily- the big dog (mutt, no clue what her breeds are) is very patient with him and only plays rough when she knows it's okay. This is awesome to see, she tests the waters, so to speak, by nudging him or mouthing him, if he ignores her she settles down, if he responds, they get play time.
Wickitt - Jasper's brother, finds Jasper to be weak and growls at him, when this happens we gate Wickitt until we feel it's okay to release him.
The other two dogs and the two cats don't seem to phase him or seemed phased by him.
Again, I am worried there is something permanently wrong with him, I don't know how much time to give the phenobarbital, I don't know if I will get Jasper back 100%.
I just don't know what to do.
A little history on Jasper - he is a corgi/mini australian shepherd mix. Born August 10, 2009
His sister has had seizures since early 2011 and takes medications for it.
One of his siblings died when they were just days old but I don't remember how or why.
His first seizure was earlier this year (June 23, 2012). I brought him to the vet and the vet ran blood work and did a basic physical exam- everything came back normal. The vet didn't want to put him on medicine right away saying it could be a fluke thing.
The second time he had them the vet walked in and told me to put him on phenobarbital (without and exam, just straight up said it.) I didn't like this idea so I changed vets.
*The seizures seem to come in clusters of three or more. Usually four seizures through the night, without normal consciousness in between. They also happened at night, after 11pm.
The third time they happened I just went through the motions with him (I can't remember the date).
I'm pretty sure this is the fourth time it happened (Started at 430am Sept. 2 2012). If I remember the times correctly, it's 430am, 9:00am, 3:20pm and after that it gets hazy. His appointment was at 2pm that day and I informed the vet that he is acting like he is going to have another one. *Which he did, just not in the presence of the vet.
~~As for the cause of the seizures, at first I thought it was because he got into some cat food (ate out of Mia's bowl). Then I thought it was because we had an unusually hot hot day and he just couldn't tolerate that kind of heat (I think it was upper 70s to upper 80s, which didn't happen often this summer). But when he had his fourth cluster of seizures, neither was a factor.
He seems to have improved over the weekend, but he still seems a little wonky. He tries to get obsessively hungry, but I can usually distract from that, his manners have noticeably slipped. and he tends to drag his feet when he walks. His eyes still seem a little distant (not 100%), He jumps at loud noises, he doesn't move right away when people walk past him (I live with my sisters and their animals- two sisters, one big dog named Lily, Jasper's brother named Wikitt-Corgi mix, a Maltese-Pixii, a Yorkie-Rocco, a bengal cat-Loki, and my cat- Mia, so he is used to a full house and is or used to be very good at maneuvering around everybody). He also whines when he paces and I can never figure out why (try letting him out to pee, feed him a small handful of food, refresh his water bowl). When he was his old self, he would groan at me when he had to pee or run to the door when I stood up from sitting. So the whining is definitely new.
The improvements: he follows me around more, he is chewing on his raw hides again, he gets into playful moods (although he plays a little different than he used to), he knows his name and the direction from which it is being called, he knows his nick-name (my brother-in-law calls him Fiddle which he also responds to), he knows his basic commands: sit, wave, down, shake, come, close-the-door. But not his more advanced commands: shake-off (coming in from a rainy day, this is my favorite command), Up (sitting on his hind legs and waving), roll-over, etc.
When he paces in the middle of the night the only thing that gets him to stop is if I call him up on my bed and he lays his head close to mine. I don't mind this, as he has always slept on my bed with me and it's allowed.
Lily- the big dog (mutt, no clue what her breeds are) is very patient with him and only plays rough when she knows it's okay. This is awesome to see, she tests the waters, so to speak, by nudging him or mouthing him, if he ignores her she settles down, if he responds, they get play time.
Wickitt - Jasper's brother, finds Jasper to be weak and growls at him, when this happens we gate Wickitt until we feel it's okay to release him.
The other two dogs and the two cats don't seem to phase him or seemed phased by him.
Again, I am worried there is something permanently wrong with him, I don't know how much time to give the phenobarbital, I don't know if I will get Jasper back 100%.
I just don't know what to do.
Hello Sam......I'm sorry no one responded to your post...I do not have any personal experience w/seizures but there is a thread here about the side effects of Phenobarbital....I'm wondering if that's what your seeing in your dog's behavior now & not necessarily continued stroke symptoms.....
I'll go find the thread.....
Also, I can help you play detective & maybe we can figure out what's causing these seizures.....Let me know what you have ruled out so far......Karla
Here it is: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dogs/Phenobarbital-side-effects--how-long/show/1525013
I'll go find the thread.....
Also, I can help you play detective & maybe we can figure out what's causing these seizures.....Let me know what you have ruled out so far......Karla
Here it is: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dogs/Phenobarbital-side-effects--how-long/show/1525013
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